Let's Play a Game!
by S80
Summary: A collection of mainly fluffy Yamamoto/Squalo drabbles/ficlets. Written when the muse strikes.
1. He Just Knows!

He watched with a rare seriousness the laptop's monitor. Squalo's every swing of the arm, twist of his spine, jump of the foot; none of it escaped Yamamoto's notice. Lussuria briefly took up the screen with a victory sign, but past him was the long haired swordsman, smirking in that wicked way he did, a gleam of arrogance in his cold eyes. "Squalo..." he murmured, unknowingly drawing closer to the screen. The Vongola's rain guardian watched ever so closely as Squalo's figure approached. The movement of his body, carried with a vain sense of pride and mysteriously shrouded with a veil of subconscious knowing, made Yamamoto's spine tingle as he pulled backed quickly from the screen. He admired the Varia's swordsman in a way that could be best described as, "for his skill, and not the side he fought on." But another factor played apart of his admiration.

"Voi! Only victory has its rewards. Wasn't it the same for that ring!?" the voice of Squalo said, almost staring at Yamamoto through the monitor. He could feel his face gradually fade into that trademark smile of his, a lazy look of appreciation filling his eyes. How did that Squalo always know? "Squalo..." Yamamoto said, this time with an air of sweet, innocent longing to meet him once again. If the mafia was a game, then Squalo was the character that had the dynamic impact on him.


	2. His Name is Squalo!

AN: It's just so cute the way Yamamoto says Squalo's name!

---

"VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOI~" Yamamoto's eyes shot wide open in a comically shocked manner, completed with a closed mouth grin shortly after. He was relieved that Squalo was still alive and well and demonstrated that with the cheery shout of his name. "Squalo!" The volume controls did little justice to the more-than-earsplitting cry, but he seemed to be the only one who didn't mind. Tsuna had that typical look of confused terror on his face, and Gokudera twitched with annoyance all the while. Yamamoto continued to smile, regardless that right after Squalo had finished shouting, he had roughly transitioned into a hostile threat. Perhaps he had forgotten to listen when Squalo's face appeared on screen, or he wasn't listening at all. He grinned, just happy to see that same gleam and watched as a comrade of the silver-haired Varia popped up from behind the lounging couch and proceeded to bother Squalo. Gokudera noted Bel in a pissed off fashion. Tsuna was being Tsuna and looked on with a contorted look. Yamamoto laughed, amused by the fact Squalo and Bel were now engaged in a fight. His laughter died down, turning into a languid grin before Squalo left with departing words-- then the transmission died out.

His smile subsided, his mouth now agape in a rare kind of disappointment. Yamamoto may have liked to see Squalo, even if it was only through a monitor screen, but he knew he could not get everything he wanted. He cherished what little he was granted of Squalo's presence, not expecting to meet the man in person for quite some time. He wondered if his future self got along well with the future Squalo... It was food for thought as he mulled over the friends he had at his side right now. Yamamoto smiled gingerly to himself, his mafia-roleplay family would always be there for him, but it would have been nice to have a bit more of Squalo in their game as well.

"Squalo~" he chirped once more just to hear the name roll off his tongue. He earned curious glances from those who heard him. Yamamoto shrugged it off in his own little way, hand behind his neck with a sheepish grin. "Did I say that out loud?"


	3. It's Called Baseball!

AN: I start to stray off the main story here. Then again, with most fan fiction you tend to do such things. Enjoy.

---

"Voi! Bel, don't make stupid accusations you can't prove!" Varia swordsman, Squalo, yelled with his daily vehemence of acid drip. The self-proclaimed prince had waltzed into the living quarters of Squalo and edged him on with subtle comments about Yamamoto's 'admiration' for him. Much sultry emphasis on 'admiration' whenever it slipped out of Bel's 'ushishishi'ing mouth.

"His face practically lit up when we sent that transmission." Squalo's mouth upturned in a show of his teeth, his brows furrowed. "I didn't even see that! And-- what do you mean by 'WE'?!"

A quick, amused "Ushishihi," eerily seeped out of Bel's mouth as Squalo grabbed him by the collar. "Voi! Bastard, are you suggesting I actually like the kid?!" he yelled, causing Bel to "Ushishishi," even more. The blonde grinned widely, and somewhere in his mind Squalo knew Bel was raising a brow in smugness under those bangs of his. "In more ways than one. You're the pitcher, right?" Bel grinned, using terms that could describe more than just baseball.

Not the kind to blush, Squalo's face heated up in anger rather than out of embarrassment. "DON'T BE ABSURD, YOU IDIOT!" He began to violently shake the "Ushishishi-ing knife bastard!", only to stop out of realizing something. "Is something wrong, Squalo?" Bel asked with an undermining tone. Squalo's eyes became filled with fire as he shook the prince with ten-fold his previous strength. "VOOOI, YOU SNEAKY BASTARD!!!" Between keeping his head from snapping off, Bel was able to "Ushishihi," and relate a small note to Squalo regarding his realization. "I thought it would be nice for you to confess live those. . . 'feelings' you must secretly harbor for the Vongola's Rain Guardian!" After delivering the statement, Bel easily eluded Squalo's shocked state and waved hi to the camera situated underneath a pile of pillows. "Ushishishi, Squalo is just in denial."

The transmission ended abruptly with black and white static, the last image seen was Squalo looking at Bel with murderous intent.

-Vongola Base; Attendance: Giannini & Yamamoto-

The Vongola's technician's face exploded with a flush red color. He looked over hesitantly at Yamamoto with uneasiness in his eyes. "I-I didn't know he liked that sort of thing..." Giannini stammered, awkwardly looking about the room. "Oh, I didn't either!" Yamamoto grinned innocently. Giannini fiddled with the controls just to have an excuse to keep his eyes off the Rain Guardian. Sweat beaded his round forehead. "You're... okay with that?" Oblivious to the discomfort in Giannini's tone, Yamamoto answered cheerily, "Of course! I play baseball, too! Hahaha!" The technician's eyes grew larger. Was this guy serious? He best not let him know the real meaning behind the baseball terms and decided to laugh along with Yamamoto, no matter how forced and unsure it was. "Uh, yeah. Baseball..." Giannini dabbed at his forehead with the back of his sleeve and picked up a glass of water to hydrate his dry throat. He usually did not have liquids so close to his equipment, but today he felt he could be careful if he tried...

"I'm really good at catching!"

Giannini spent the rest of the day drying out his system with Yamamoto frequently checking to see if he was okay. Oh, kids these days.


	4. Break!

AN: I just like fluffy-ish moments.

---

How cute, the kid actually thought they were still playing a fucking game. _Tch, annoying brat._

Squalo dodged a rather weak swing from Yamamoto with a simple side-step movement, his Varia uniform clad figure halting in reluctance soon afterward. "Voooi! Are you tired already!? It's only been a few hours!" he remarked in a biting tone, glaring with steely eyes at the Vongola's rain guardian. In reply, he received one of Yamamoto's trademark looks; a lazy grin and warm, amused brown eyes. "I'm sorry, Squalo, I just haven't had any milk today. It's my favorite drink, you know!" he laughed heartily in contrast to Squalo's uninterested look, but that didn't stop him from grinning. "Is something wrong?"

Squalo looked over Yamamoto's stance, noting the obvious lack of strength in his overall appearance. Whether that was because Squalo outwardly thought anyone who wasn't him was weak or that the boy actually was tired could have been anyone's guess, but what was certain was his offer to let the boy rest for a few moments. "You have five minutes." He said curtly, earning an honestly perplexed look from Yamamoto. "For what?" Squalo's lips upturned in a slight grin. "A break, you brat! Go drink your milk or whatever you want to freaking do."

Yamamoto tilted his head to the side and watched as Squalo stared directly into his warm gaze. "Voi, what are you lookin' at?" Squalo scowled, dangerously drawing his sword towards the boy. Yamamoto merely grinned and walked off casually at a leisurely pace. Before leaving completely, he turned his head over his shoulder and shouted, "We're going to train non-stop after this, though, right?"

As oblivious the kid was, Squalo had to give him props for his determination. He lowered his head to try and hide a grin, his voice having no problem disguising itself in its usual tone. "Yeah, so you hurry back up, kid!"


	5. Whoops!

A/N: Lussuria is made of epic win. I tried to write this without using the word flamboyant, but oh, alas…

----

"Oh, ho hum. What is it now?" Exaggerating a frown, Lussuria stopped in his tracks and leaned back to look out the window he had just passed. Through it he saw what had caused the noise-- or the noise that continued to ring within his ears.

"VOOOOOI~ Y-YOU LITTLE--!!!" Squalo's shoulders were squared, his back ramrod straight, and his head drawn back in a ferocious way; the universal body language for "I'm pissed!" And although Squalo's back was to him, Lussuria was sure that a mad-eyed scowl was currently on the silver-haired man's face. "Oh, no..." he muttered, pulling his body to stand directly in front of the window now. The tip of his nose pressed gently to the windowpane as his tired sigh fogged up the glass. "What did that boy do...?" A wide, wry smile crept to his lips as he watched the two interact behind his smoked glasses.

Yamamoto was currently standing not too far in front of the Varia swordsman, the usual look of boyish innocence about his face. He held a sword in his hands, but loosely now, as his other hand was busy rubbing the back of his neck in an apologetic gesture. "I'm sorry, Squalo!" he laughed, kind brown eyes gleaming. "Aw~" Lussuria began to coo, but not before Squalo could exclaim his anger once again.

Grabbing a noticeably shorter lock of his silver hair, Squalo held it up to Yamamoto's face. His chest rumbled with the audacity of his words; "YOU THINK SORRY CAN GROW THIS BACK, BRAT?" Lussuria let out a small gasp, unconsciously pressing his face closer to the window just to hear and see the conversation. This was much better than whatever was on the television right now. Yamamoto blinked at the clean-cut hair, reaching out to hold it himself. Squalo instinctively restrained any further movement by gripping onto Yamamoto's wrist. "Voi! You think I'd let you touch my hair after cutting it!?" He tightened his hold just to show how serious he was about his hair being cut; it wasn't as if growing it out was easy. Yamamoto's face faltered slightly, his mouth opening in a slight gasp.

Lussuria let out a gasp of his own and propped his elbows on the window sill, kneeling down onto the floor to watch. "What's going to happen next?" he wondered out loud happily. He cracked a grin as Squalo started to scold the boy, releasing his wrist with an irritated flick. "You have more control with a sword, don't try to play it off like some stupid accident!" Yamamoto rubbed bemusedly at his wrist, his training sword now at his feet. A quick thought when through his head. He decided to prevent the incident from ever happening again. "Squalo?" he smiled. In the midst of his ranting and raving, Squalo drew his mouth into a tight line, narrowed eyes telling the boy to proceed with caution. "Why don't you just tie up your hair?" Yamamoto grinned and used his sword to shear a small strip of cloth from his own clothing.

"Oh, oh, oh~ What's happening!?" Lussuria cried, unable to hear what Yamamoto was saying. His body wiggled side to side. He just had to know! Carefully, the man glided the window open - just a crack - and listened intently with a superficial grin.

Yamamoto walked behind Squalo without a problem and gently pulled back his long hair into a ponytail. "Voi! What are you doing!?" he sneered, but not attempting to free himself. "Tying your hair back." Yamamoto grinned, looping the makeshift ribbon into a double knot. He patted the tie happily and beamed at Squalo. "There, that should help!" Yamamoto laughed comically to himself and returned back to retrieve his sword. "I'll try not to do that again." The ebony haired boy promised with a pure sense of honesty in his tone. Squalo grinned in his own special way, reaching a hand back to feel the strip of cloth holding his hair back. "Yeah, if you even have the chance!" Squalo quickly adjusted his stance and lunged forward for an attack, Yamamoto's casual demeanor just as quickly replaced with a serious one as he fell back to block.

"Ohohohoho~!! How cute!" Lussuria drawled, his thoughts hazy in the fluffiness of it all. Readjusting his shades, he stood up off the floor, closed the window, and continued his way down the corridor. Gloved hands pressed to his cheeks in a fan girl-ish way and he practically gushed about how cute the moment was when he met a poor frog hat donning boy trekking down the same path.

--- Optional Ending

"And he tied his hair back! Isn't that just the cutest thing ever?" The flamboyant one exclaimed.

"That doesn't sound cute." Fran said in his monotone.

"Oh, who asked you?" Lussuria pouted indignantly, crossing his arms.

"You did..."


	6. He Doesn't Care!

A/N: Yamamoto had to learn Squalo's move somehow, right? I'd imagine they trained together sometime before TYL! Perhaps this drabble is a bit more fluffy and ooc. I do try to keep them within character confines, though. Whew, this took a while to write.

* * *

"Ah, it's getting dark." Yamamoto commented, referring to the darkening hue of orange-red to violet in the Italian sky. He momentarily let his arms fall limp, his hands gently holding onto his training sword, which nosed the ground. Squalo opened up an eye, peering down at the spaced-out teen from his reclining position in a tree. He had been overseeing Yamamoto practice his form, keeping the boy from dawdling. "Voi~!! Get moving, lousy brat!" Squalo growled with a scowl.

The grip on his training sword tightened. Yamamoto turned to look up at Squalo in the nook of a dead tree, so he could give him a friendly smile and confirmation nod. "Yes, Sir." Squalo's lips drew back into a line and he closed his eyes, resuming his 'overseeing' of Yamamoto's training. After a silence only penetrated by the air slashes Yamamoto landed, the silver-haired Varia swordsman decided to take part in the training himself, jumping down from the height and readying his own weapon.

Yamamoto stopped again, looking at Squalo with a twinkle in his eye. "What are you doing? Do you want to play, too?"

He earned a wry grin from his overseer. "Heh," Conditioning the boy's ability to fight at any time was a given in his training. The mafia was full of mysterious deaths, all seemingly happening because the victim failed to acknowledge their surroundings. Squalo rushed forward and raised his sword to slash downward, Yamamoto simultaneously rising to block. A fog of Squalo's image was left when he transitioned to the back, continuing his downward slash. Yamamoto lunged forward, his lips drawn tight and eyes burning with solemn determination as he twisted back and raised his sword to meet Squalo's.

"Either win or lose, that's your only choice." Squalo growled, propelling himself back with a kick. He didn't care if the sky was neon green, they would train until he said they were done.

---

Quick, heated hours passed the clashing pair, the sky engulfed in its charming midnight blue and scattered with myriads of blazing stars, smiling at the unwavering skills of each swordsman. "You look a little tired," Squalo grinned, landing a, literally, paralyzing hit onto Yamamoto's blade. "Haha, just a bit." The boy laughed, the paralyzing effect making his voice quiver. Taking this chance to seize victory, the Varia swords man pushed forward with his whole weight. Once Yamamoto had fallen back, he raised a boot-clad foot to rest none-too-gently on his opponent's abdomen. As back up, his sword was leering dangerously at Yamamoto's neck. "You lost," Squalo drawled out, almost in a tired way himself. He removed his foot from the boy's being and retracted his weapon. "Now get up."

Yamamoto snapped back into his usual personality and yawned. "I guess I have to go home now!" he grinned, lifting himself off the ground. Squalo stared at him for a bit, almost in disbelief; the boy's home was at least a fourteen hour flight away, and then just getting to Namimori would be at least an hour or so from the international airport! "Voi~!!" Squalo instinctively yelled at anything that was absurd. Yamamoto hummed to himself, looking around in the darkness. "Does that mean I get to stay here?" An impish smile pulled at Squalo's lips as he thought about just returning to his own room and leaving the boy in the field to take care of himself.

"Shut up and don't touch anything." Squalo muttered. He turned around casually and began to trek through the training field back to home base. Yamamoto was dumbfounded for quite a while until he got the notion to follow. He murmured a soft, "Mmhm." under his breath and tried desperately to keep his eyes from closing. Had they been sparring for /that/ long? He looked up ahead with clear admiration in his eyes for Squalo, wondering how the man could retain enough energy to even walk back.

---

"Find some place to sleep." Squalo muttered, continuing to walk down a dimly lit corridor. Yamamoto stood at the archway opening of the hall, looking at Squalo with a sleepy gaze. "Anywhere?" he asked, still trying to put on a cheery tone. Not bothering to answer, Squalo took a turn and pushed through a door to enter his own room. He grinned smugly, hoping that the Vongola's rain guardian would know not to pick just /any/ place to sleep within the headquarters of an assassination group. Shedding his clothes into a pile, Squalo made his way into the bathroom and turned on the shower to a medium hot range. He stepped under the shower head, closing his eyes as it coaxed his tense muscles to relax. Damn, that kid could fight.

---

He stood there, thinking of a safe place to rest for the night. Yamamoto was not fully aware of just how dangerous the people around here were, but he knew that sleeping out in the open was never a good idea. The Vongola looked around blankly, deciding to ask Squalo where a good place was. After all, he did value the opinion of someone he admired. He knocked quietly at Squalo's door and waited to be answered. Yamamoto exhaled, patiently hoping to hear the man approve his wish to enter. Uneventful silence and the sound of a shower going caused the boy to invite him self in. He would just wait for Squalo to be done with his shower and then he'd scamper away to any suggested place. Yamamoto seated himself on a comfortable lounge chair and sat attentively, still waiting. Yeah, he'd just wait in that cozy chair, perhaps lean back a little, stare blankly at the ceiling. Maybe even close his eyes for a little bit, but not fall asleep, no, not fall asleep.

---

Squalo exited his bathroom, toweling his silver hair dry. He threw the towel onto a growing pile of clothes and proceeded to get dressed for the night, eyes closed to get them ready for a quick retreat into sleep. The sound of a light 'thud' ignited the adrenaline in his blood and his gray eyes shot open, already finding the suspect individual.

Yamamoto had apparently slumped to the side in the lounge chair, his mouth pulled into a half-smile as he snored lightly. "Tch, I thought I locked that fucking door." Squalo muttered, nearing the boy cautiously. Squalo was hoping the boy knew that anywhere meant, "but my fucking room" but he wasn't so lucky. He reached forward to begin to shake the boy awake, but let out a long yawn, momentarily preventing him from moving. Glancing over at the wall clock, he saw it was well beyond late and waved it off, lazily turning to his own bed. "Whatever, he'll get his own room tomorrow." Squalo said in a sleepy stupor, crawling into his own bed and under his covers.

He tried to sleep, but the constant shuffling of Yamamoto's movements bothered him. Squalo sat up in bed and crankily glared over at the boy. "Is he cold or something?" the Varia swordsman drawled, shifting his legs to the side. He stood up quickly and took a light blanket with him, grumbling incoherently to himself as he trudged over. "Don't stain this, stupid brat." he whispered harshly, even though he knew it he wouldn't be heard. Squalo shook out the blanket and carelessly tossed it over Yamamoto's sleeping form. He hurried back to his bed and muttered into his pillow, trying to find sleep.

Yamamoto's half-smile seemed to lengthen as his hands instinctively found the new article of cloth, wrapping it around himself.

Squalo shut his eyes, trying to stop the knitting of his brows. He just did that to get the kid to be quiet, and that was it. Nothing more and nothing less.

It wasn't as if he liked Yamamoto.


	7. In the Closet!

A/N: Inspired by the reactions to Lussuria commenting on Ryohei's body during the ring battles.

* * *

"W-what did he just say!?" Gokudera stammered, knowing what he had just heard but choosing not to believe it. Tsuna did just the opposite and pretended to disregard the comment, but the blanched look of his face said otherwise. "I have no idea..." he mumbled, staring at the Varia's very own Lussuria.

Yamamoto sweat dropped a bit and remained silent, his mouth drawn into a line. He took a sideways glance at his friends, Reborn, who was in his line of sight for he was perched on his shoulder, did not seem to notice the gesture.

After looking at what shocked his friends standing beside him, Yamamoto chanced a look over to Squalo, who seemed to be bored if anything. His lowered eyes and small lopsided frown said so. So, Squalo didn't mind _that_ kind of thing? _At least it'll be easier to confess_, Yamamoto contemplated with a seriousness that could only be found in his mind.

He sighed inwardly; If Lussuria (who was just a bit too obvious with his orientation) got that kind of reaction, he knew that his feelings for Squalo would be taken like hell.

A teenage boy with feelings for an older man. Yamamoto questioned his own feelings, not even sure if the one he admired returned them.

Well, it was worth a shot. And the very idea brought back that grin to his face.


	8. I Don't Know!

A/N: Because he wouldn't ever actually say it to his face.

* * *

"I remember you saying, 'I'm going to shred your heart!', but I was trying to keep focus on staying conscious back then." Yamamoto sighed, closing his eyes kindly.

"And I don't know if you heard me, but I said something along the lines of, 'Isn't it just one-sided like this?'" His face was solemn as he grinned, shaking his head in a bereaved way. "We continued fighting..." his brows frowned. He pulled on a short sleeve shirt. "And I still don't know the answer to that," Hesitation. "One-sidedness." Yamamoto slipped into a pair of jeans he had worn the previous day.

"But you're not all that bad like you say you are." He pulled on a pair of socks. "I'm glad we can fight along side each other." Yamamoto's soft smile turned into a broad grin when he heard a pair of berated hands beat at the door of the room that was lent to him. "Hurry up, you brat!" Squalo growled impatiently from outside.

"Haha! I'm hurrying, Squalo!" Yamamoto laughed, slipping on a pair of shoes and exiting his room to meet his mentor.

Yes, Squalo wasn't that bad at all.


	9. That's What He Said!

A/N: I've cracked one too many "That's what s/he said!" jokes.

* * *

It wasn't rising before the sun to train that bothered Yamamoto. It wasn't even the fact that sparring could have little to no breaks and go on for hours at a time. No, it was _after_ strenuous training sessions that irked him, but that infamous grin of his would never let that show.

"Voi~!! Are you too weak to make it to your room?" Squalo taunted, a good 20 feet ahead of Yamamoto. They were walking up a steep incline to reach the Varia base, the night sky old with stars slowly dying from the young rays of the new morning's sun. Yamamoto rubbed vigorously at his eyes, trying to stifle a yawn. "N-no~" He had dragged out his reply longer than intended because _he yawned_. Rather loudly, at that. An amused scoff could be heard from Squalo's direction and Yamamoto's eyes blinked only a little faster at the sound. "Did you say something, Squalo~?" he yawned again, dragging out Squalo's name. Rather loudly, at that.

The older male continued his unrelenting pace up the steep grade. It was only after he had actually **reached the base** that he looked behind him to find that Yamamoto had decided to fall over into the grass 30 feet back. Squalo groaned. He wasn't going to even bother walking over to him to wake him. He'd just use that voice of his. "Voi~!! Lousy brat, hurry up!"

Yamamoto opened his eyes slowly and rose to stand on sleepy limbs. "I'm coming, Squalo!" he half yawned. Also rather loudly, at that. Squalo brought a palm to his face and let out an irritated sigh.

---

Lussuria had awoken from his sleep after hearing, what sounded like, moans of "Oh~" and "Squalo~" coming from the direction of where Squalo had taken Yamamoto today. He decided that it was just his imagination and had used that as an excuse to now be digging in the fridge for his overpriced pint of Ben & Jerry's. "Mmm~ after this, I'll stop hearing these absurd sounds."

_"I'm coming, Squalo!"_ faintly echoed within his ears. Lussuria stopped his rummaging and stared absent-mindedly into the freezer light.

Maybe he wasn't hearing these things.

At that, he started to look for his overpriced Häagen-Dazs pint, too.

"Some of us are trying to sleep in the literal sense of the term," he muttered.


	10. Tch, Not Here for You!

A/N: I haven't updated this particular drabble series in a while and I've had this idea for quite some time after reading the chapter! Ahaha~ Enjoy. A bit silly, in my opinion. Boy, the series has been very YamaSqu lately, but I'm not complaining. |D

* * *

No, it wasn't like he wanted to see how Yamamoto would fare in this battlefield. Squalo just wanted to see if his merciless training paid off with the boy. The Yamamoto in his present, matured and with that dashingly charming smile of his, was gone for the time being and replaced with his younger, naive self. Squalo resisted snorting when he thought that he didn't mind seeing his youthful, fresh face, for he was trying to hide his presence from the players and spectators conversing near his spot's proximity.

Being an assassin gave him a stealthy edge in hiding his aura, but one of the players opposing the Vongola team called him out on the measly one hundredth of a percent he couldn't hide. With a scowl and a rapid movement of his arms, Squalo revealed himself and was quick to "Voi!!" at everyone, glancing in the Rain Guardian's general direction. You know, since he wasn't there for Yamamoto.

"The heck? You showed up!!" Yamamoto proclaimed with a hearty smile, already turning to face the older, longer haired Varia assassin.

"Don't get me wrong, ya piece of trash!" Squalo snarled, crossing his arms defensively. "I just snuck in the hopes of causing a bit of madness an' mayhem."

Yeah, that excuse really cut it for someone like Squalo. At least to everyone else.

Yamamoto felt his heart swell a bit, because even though that rather loud and cynical man just said he didn't come to see him fight, Yamamoto just knew.

Knew that was exactly the reason he why he was hiding in the base unit.


	11. The Takeshi I Know!

A/N: Inspired by Squalo and Yamamoto's little camping trip. DD: Well, if that isn't the most adorable thing I've seen Squalo do! Did anyone else's heart flutter at Squalo's little 'accepted you' statement? oAo; B-because mine did... Half way through, it felt like he was confessing his love. But, ah, that's just being hopeless.

* * *

A fire roared between them, charring the unusually large tuna that was impaled onto a stick. Yamamoto sat on the ground, shifting his legs to get a bit more comfortable as Squalo watched him with his usual expression of irritability from the other side.

"Never fully embracing the sword?" Yamamoto questioned, trying to ignore the stinging bruises on his face.

Squalo exhaled impatiently. "The you I knew in this era was the same way." Random memories of time spent with the grown up Vongola Rain Guardian flashed in his head and he dismissed them with a bitter, closed eyes expression. "It always pissed me off..." Yamamoto listened with a polite interest. "But I accepted it as part of who you were."

"Wh... what are you talking about?" Yamamoto had been blind sighted by the comment. Perhaps by its off tangent feeling or the paralyzing fuzzy feeling it sent through his nervous system. Words like that coming from Squalo were rather shocking. Squalo didn't stay with his dejected tone long enough for Yamamoto to mull over its possible implications.

"If you really want to become strong, there's just one thing you have to do!" He reopened his eyes, glaring half-heartedly across the fire. "Baseball of the blade. You have to chose one."

Again, Yamamoto was blind sighted by the seemingly off tangent talk. "What are you, my career counselor...?" he laughed, giving a sheepish grin all the while. Squalo jumped up to his full stature to highlight the seriousness of his proposal. "I know you have the talent to handle both at once!" he bit out, trying to remember the young Yamamoto and not the one in his present. "But the blade isn't something you 'handle'..." He couldn't help but to notice how Yamamoto's chocolate hues lingered upward in thought; at least this was going somewhere with him.

"It's something you stake everything on!" Squalo completed his heated speech with firm resolution in his tone. Yamamoto's eyes came out of thought after hearing those last words. "Well, then, the answer's obvious." Squalo could see the gleam in his eyes lessen a bit, but a lazy lopsided smile gave him a bit of hope.

"I'll devote myself to the blade." Yamamoto declared, grabbing onto the hilt of his weapon for emphasize. He was so busy doing that, he didn't notice Squalo's tightened jaw and hinted expression of dejected knowledge.

_Even in his youth, he's much like his future self._

After a semi-lengthy chat about Yamamoto's fight with Genkishi, how he felt before going into battle and how he felt after, Squalo was very sure that the Yamamoto he knew would surely grow up from this one.

"But you know what, it's strange... Now that I've decided to focus on the blade alone, suddenly it's like a huge weight's fallen off my shoulders..."

The boy made himself comfortable, leaning over to the side and propping his head on his hand, the other arm mirroring the technique. Some time during their conversation over the open fire, Squalo had moved his hands to rest on his hips.

_Even talking about things this deep, he can still be lax. This is definitely the Yamamoto I knew_.

"So you were letting that get to you, huh..." Squalo murmured.

"Still, it is kind of sad... forgetting about baseball, even if it is just for a while..." the boy said with just a hint of sadness and a carefree look on his dirtied face.

"Just for a while!?" Squalo was not amused.

"Yeah. Until I get back to the past." Yamamoto stated as if it were very logically, very solidly reasoned.

_This piece of trash is Yamamoto Takeshi alright_.

He hid his amusement behind a loud, "VOI-!! That ain't what I'm talkin' about, dammit!" basking in the genuinely soft, joyful expression on his company's face.

_Ha--!! He's just as laidback as his older self._

How nostalgic it was to be talking to Yamamoto, younger and naive as always. And he couldn't deny the fact he found their time spent together 'enjoyable'.


	12. It's So Late!

A/N: Mmm~ This little idea seemed cute, so I shall write it. Mm, I'd say 6-8 years later? I play around far too much with the fluffiness of this pairing... I was tempted to make Squalo's text proper grammar, but Squalo doesn't seem like that kind of person. =w=; Another long drabble, eh…?

* * *

After miniscule amounts of sleep, bloodlust driven clashes of swords, steel against barrels of guns in attempts to push them away, and facing death about 10 times over, the last thing Squalo wanted to do was check his cell phone.

The last time he had seen Yamamoto Takeshi was when he received the damn thing. Presented with a charming smile and in a hand wrapped box (Squalo had refrained from snorting at the messy blue ribbon bow), the gift was given with the purpose of them keeping in contact, since continent and a sea kept them from seeing each other often. He remembered accepting the cell phone with a nonchalant grunt and mutter of thanks, eyeing over it with a slight curiosity.

Shedding his arm bound sword into a clattering heap on the ground, Squalo made his way over to the lounge chair in his room and made himself comfortable. He reached out for the cell phone, which he had left on the adjacent table (because he would be damned if that thing went off during a mission) and flipped it open, his eyes squinting with the display screen's brightness. If Squalo could be called lazy, that could have been his excuse for not changing his cell phone's wallpaper.

---

"It can take pictures, too!" Yamamoto grinned sheepishly.

"Voi, why would I need something that can do that?" Squalo clicked his tongue at the young man, who just started to babble out some animated nonsense before getting to the point. "So I can see how you're doing, of course." The Varia assassin felt a bit embarrassed by the man's words. A series of 'uh's and 'hn's with unevenly narrowed eyes supported his uneasiness. "Can't you just call then, you idiot?" Squalo mumbled, staring blankly at the phone now. "Well, I'm going to do that too!" Now that Yamamoto was older, that smile of his could turn suave, and he showed Squalo one of those smiles. "Why don't we take a picture together? I probably won't see you for some time after this assignment." Yamamoto was due back in Japan in two days and he had stopped by the Varia headquarters to visit his first real opponent in the art of the sword. Squalo, not really being an openly sentimental guy, agreed reluctantly, but to Yamamoto he might as well have exclaimed 'Voi, yes!' and kissed him on the cheek.

But that didn't happen.

Yamamoto's laughter was near Squalo's ear, his arm draped casually over slender shoulders. He gently took the phone into his own outstretched arm and pressed his face against Squalo's cheek. "Smile, Squalo!" Even while posing for a camera, Yamamoto's smile was still genuine; he was taking it with Squalo after all.

---

The man's cheesy grin and his own sour faced sneer made up the background of his cell phone. A stark reading of 2:33AM in the top left corner of the screen drew a yawn from Squalo. He drew his mouth into a tight line before pressing his way to his text message inbox. Yamamoto really liked to send him those since he knew that calling would usually result in a one-way wait to a voice mail. "Doesn't this brat have better things to do?" Squalo chortled, smirking at the 12 new text messages. He lazily thumbed through them, most of them just frivolous comments from Yamamoto's daily life.

_(^_^) Squalo! Today my favorite team won their baseball game. __**Yesterday 2:10 PM**_

_I think I finally got your attack down. (o 3o) It's an amazing technique! **Yesterday 11:32PM**_

_(o Ao); I just realized I'm texting you at very bad times! Sorry! m(_ _)m **Yesterday 2:20AM**_

Squalo snorted through his nose at that. _Then why do you keep texting, idiot?_

He read through all of yesterday's text messages (consisting of things that would feel most at home in Yamamoto's thoughts), finally getting to the new one today.

_I'm going to be in Italy next week. We should have dinner together sometime. My treat! \(^ ^)/ **Today 2:30AM**_

Why did this brat keep texting him at ungodly hours? He wouldn't admit it, but he was flattered by the offer and would have been a bit more ecstatic if it wasn't sent just a few minutes prior his return. After staring a bit more at the text, Squalo flipped the phone closed and laid it back onto the stand. He never actually replied to any of Yamamoto's text, he just read them. Yet that fact never discouraged Yamamoto from sending each Japanese emoticon filled texts to him. He was sure that the man would always find a way to convey a smile, even through the use of randomly grouped punctuation marks and letters. Squalo had taken to leaning his head back against his chair when a rumbling vibration on the stand alerted him to the new text message.

"Voi, does that kid not know what time it is over here?!" he quickly snatched up the phone and found his way to the new message.

_I won't take no for an answer. Goodnight, Squalo! (=^3^)~Chuu! __**Today 2:36AM**_

He guessed the message was an afterthought on the previous one, seeing as it was delivered within a short time of the other. Squalo clicked his tongue and grin crookedly. _This kid know when I'm awake or something?_ While he may have known some Japanese and a bit about its culture (thanks to the sword), Squalo had no earthly idea what that Japanese emoticon Yamamoto sent was. Was it mocking, was it bad, good? What was it? Squalo decided to text back his answer to the dinner proposal and ask about the face.

_only if u keep ur promise about paying and what was that face u used?_ Squalo's reply took a while, seeing as it was late, he was tired and using only one hand to restlessly search and press the keypad. He hit 'send' after what felt like forever and closed his phone, letting his arm hang off the side of the chair as he waited for a reply. Yamamoto said he would always reply back.

It didn't take long for the phone to have another one of its seizures. Squalo groaned, being awoken from his near drift into sleep by the noise and feeling. Wordlessly, Squalo checked the new text. He rubbed his eyes a bit to restore their vision and looked at the text again. Was this guy serious?

_Of course I'll pay. And that was a kiss goodnight! (;o3o) Go to bed now! __**Today 2:42AM**_

There was a slight tingling sensation in Squalo's cheeks and his face felt just a tad bit warmer. Without a word Squalo turned off his phone and disposed of it onto the nightstand next to his bed before crawling under his sheets. He was too tired to change out of his dirtied clothes and actually get ready for bed. Silver strands of hair were pushed to the side as he rolled on his back to let out a tired sigh and groaned.

How was he supposed to get to sleep with that last text?

The unfamiliar nervousness in his stomach and jumped pulse of his heart would surely keep him up until dawn.

Damn that Yamamoto Takeshi.


	13. Remember!

A/N: Inspired by chapter 248. oAo; I'm sure you know what inspired it. A bit on the dark side? This is more gen, if anything. Spoilers if you haven't read that far, I suppose?

* * *

Genkishi lost, and it was at that moment he ceased to exist in Squalo's permanently angry stare. His eyes shot back to Yamamoto, who hovered steadily in mid-air near the fallen swordsman. Yamamoto had grown some since his eyes weren't beseeching at the sight before him (much like their first skirmish in which the boy wore his concern on his sleeve), but that gleam in those brown hues of his didn't escape Squalo's sense; the boy was still the same on the inside.

Reminding him very much of their ring battle, Genkishi asked through a prideful, strained voice why Yamamoto would not deliver that blissfully sweet killing blow.

Squalo could have more or less guessed the answer ten years before the question was even asked.

"Well, we're not killers, that's all." the same soft voice paired with the same gentle smile.

That's what separated him from Yamamoto.

They were both extraordinarily well rehearsed swordsmen, both able to slice-and-dice just about anything thrown their way, but death was what separated them.

Squalo would have had no problem killing his opponent; it was second nature to him. Yamamoto, though, lived by that cliché belief that it wasn't ever necessary to kill an opponent if their life could be spared and the battle still won.

_That dumb piece of trash!!_

Kikyou, another one of the white haired devil's players, had done the typical practice of killing the horse that could not race anymore.

Listening to Genkishi's crazed talk of Byakuran being his god and Kikyou's rebuttals was starting to drive him insane, but what he really wanted to know was what was going through his psuedo-student's head. He caught a break as Genkishi began to sputter blood and his body wracked with pure, shuddering pain.

And there it was.

"Gen--" Yamamoto's voice began, quickly ascending into worry.

He remembered with a bitter feeling how that voice had once called his name, and his heart twisted and burned at the memory.

Genkishi was consumed by the killer Kikyou had placed within his armor and exploded into ribbons of thick, dark rich blood and flames, flowers mockingly spurting from the explosion as well, as if to mock his death and say that with it, better lives will be guarded. 'Saved' was a word far too exquisite for Byakuran's plans.

"GENKISHI~!!" His voice was heavily disbelieving at what he just witnessed, much like when Squalo was devoured by that shark; even under the water, he could hear that boy calling his name...

Squalo was sure that Yamamoto was listening to his team talk, but at the same time the distant look on his face made his belief in that waver. Perhaps he was thinking back to the ring battle, too? Except this time, the opponent had actually died. Killed in vain, to be exact.

Yamamoto was strong at heart, Squalo knew, or else he would have never been able to devote himself to the sword. Deep lines of narrow-eyed determination strengthened his assertion and the seriousness on his face was enough to make Squalo believe he was just as good as the future made him out to be. If not as good, better.

So, that's how Yamamoto's face looked after the gruesome exit out of their ring battle.

What an innocent grieving face it was.


	14. Lightweight!

**Author's Note:** I wanted to write some cute, fluffy TYL!stuff for YamaSqu~ Since I haven't updated for this in a while...

* * *

If there was one thing Squalo was sure of, it was this.

"Haha, Squalo, you have really long hair..." Yamamoto hummed, a jovial little smile on his face and his eyes shut in what Squalo believed to be a buzzed happiness.

Yamamoto was a lightweight.

"Voi! Can't hold your drink down, huh?" Squalo nudged Yamamoto's leg sharply with his boot-clad foot and earned a bubbly laughter in response. "Why are you poking me, Squalo? Is it a game?" The glass bottle held in Squalo's right hand hit the counter with a hollow 'clink'. "Haven't you ever had beer before?" the Varia assassin grumbled, not liking how close Yamamoto was starting to lean in-- they were sharing a quiet booth at an local tavern, and Yamamoto had decided to slink to Squalo's side and sit next to him. Being trapped between the wall and Yamamoto, Squalo really couldn't complain, and he didn't mind it too much in the first place. That was until Yamamoto started running a stray hand through his hair. "It's really soft..." the supposedly matured Rain Guardian muttered to himself. His eyes were open now and he watched as his hand started from the base of Squalo's head down his back, those silver strands of silk intertwining and caressing his fingers.

"Trash, you don't even have five seconds to get away from me." Yamamoto's company grunted, sure to keep his voice low so that no one would look over and perhaps catch the fetching shade of rosy red on his cheeks. Squalo wasn't _that_ drunk. The stinging remorse in Squalo's tone did nothing to hinder Yamamoto's actions, in fact, it only urged him on even more when he took a long lock of Squalo's hair and bought it to his nose to inhale. "Mmm, smells like Squalo~" the younger man sighed wistfully. Squalo swallowed down a hard lump in his throat; he was now dangerously boxed between a table, the booth seat, a wall, and a Yamamoto whose hands liked to wander now. "Voi, kid, get off of me." He somehow found it hard to order Yamamoto to do this, but he refused to acknowledge the fact that he actually _enjoyed_ this little drunken escapade-- all the drunk being on Yamamoto's part, of course. "But I'm not on you," Yamamoto laughed, now using his hands to support his leaning frame. He relaxed his body on Squalo's, his chin on the other's chest as he looked up with sleepy brown eyes. "I'm going to take a nap now, 'kay...?" Yamamoto never heard Squalo's inane growling and harsh whispers to get up, and when the man tried to push him off, he only linked his arms around Squalo's waist and snuggled even closer. "Damn it, kid!" It wasn't good for his image to be seen snuggled by a (_dashingly handsome_) man like Yamamoto Takeshi in what seemed like a compromising position. Thankfully for the privacy of the booth, Yamamoto as hidden from view and it only looked like Squalo was terribly wasted with how red faced he was. "Voi! Do I look like a bed to you?!" He flicked Yamamoto's head in hopes of waking him up. It only roused a groan of protest from the man as he settled for caressing Squalo's hair again. "I can't drive..." he chuckled, finally lifting himself from Squalo's body. The Varia assassin hastily bolted up right and shoved him away none too gently so he swayed to the other side of the seat. "No shit, you dumb piece of trash." Squalo said sharply as he took Yamamoto's fifth bottle of beer and down the rest of its contents. Yamamoto looked on with a slight interest and he hiccuped before giggling. "That stuff doesn't taste good."

Squalo arched a brow. "I thought it was an acquired taste, kinda like how tourist are with sushi, so I kept drinking..." Yamamoto's words started to slur a bit and he helped himself stand by using the table as support. "Oh, well~. I'll pay for everything, don't worry..." Squalo had no intentions of stopping Yamamoto from fishing out his wallet and leaving an estimated sum and a generous tip. "Can you drive me back to my hotel room?" Yamamoto asked, blinking at Squalo with an alcohol subdued smile.

A restless sigh pressed through Squalo's lips as his face remained slightly flushed. "Why the hell not?" He scooted out of the booth seat (since Yamamoto was no longer blocking his way) and the man staggered onto him and latched onto his arm for support. "Sorry, Squalo," Yamamoto laughed, sounding more happy than sorry about it. The long haired man relaxed his jaw and hooked an arm under Yamamoto's shoulders and helped him out of the bar. "Voi, I should have just left you inside," Squalo scoffed once they reached outside and were past the stares the patrons discreetly gave them. "Haha, but you didn't~" quipped the younger swordsman as Squalo lowered him into the passenger seat of his car. "Hn, don't count on it next time." Squalo grumbled. He quickly got into the car and started the engine, about to drive off when he hesitantly leaned over to Yamamoto's side and pulled on his seat belt for him. A languid smile crept onto Yamamoto's face as he reclined in the seat. "Don't think I did that just because I like you, brat. I'm not going to pay a fine just because you didn't have your damn seat belt on."

Yamamoto was willing to take that as an excuse since Squalo fumbled with his statement and a darling tinge of red was the accompaniment.


	15. Please Don't Let It Be!

**Author's Note:** Ah, the canon manga never ceases to make me happy. This is... angsty and a bit off the canon? Spoilers for chapter 258. You have been warned. -- I so need to go back and edit all the other drabbles into a more reader-friendly format. Haha! I didn't know about that 'new speaker, new paragraph' rule for quite some time. Silly me~

* * *

He was not bravely volunteering himself to look cool in Yamamoto's eyes, or anyone's for that matter. Squalo just knew that if he did not somehow buy the newly extended group of Vongola time, that the world he knew now would be under Byakuran's rule -- and he was not about to let that happen.

"You're all useless," he drawled, brandishing his sword to the former Funeral Wreath Zakuro. "Take Uni and get out!"

Yamamoto, who was already letting his flame consume his ring, was perplexed when the Varia assassin raised an arm in a curt gesture. He was ready to fight along side Squalo, and he unreservedly thought this would be his chance to do so. The young swordsman heard Tsuna's outburst, followed by Squalo's assertive answer and a display of the vast power of his rain flame.

But, still, Yamamoto was too sightless to see what Squalo was really doing. "I'll stay and fight too, Squalo!"

Squalo was quick to retort with a, "The fuck you will!" His face easily contorted into offense, as his face was always sour, and he yelled a rather indirect statement at Yamamoto, but was sure to be loud enough so everyone could hear. "You just don't get me, do you!?" Squalo leered blindly at Yamamoto. "It's about time for me to kick up my own storm, cleanly and quietly, my own way!"

Subconsciously was how he made that statement, temporarily unaware he was talking to the younger Yamamoto and not his ten-years-later counterpart. The future was not kind to his egotism, having future Yamamoto always somehow around to help him in the direst of situations. Yamamoto was always saving him -- in some sense -- in the future, whether he audibly permitted it or not.

Yamamoto looked on with a blank stare, but he did not look visibly bothered by Squalo's arrogant side. He bought a hand up behind his neck and smiled sheepishly, closing his eyes in an attempt to wash away the worry that could possibly be in his brown eyes. "Haha, I guess you're right."

Gokudera made a comment, irrelevant as pointed out by Reborn, and Tsuna did a double take on what Squalo just told them to do.

"Let's go, Tsuna! If Squalo says he's fine," Yamamoto smiled lopsidedly, the beam not in his eyes -- when had it ever been during this whole ordeal? --, "he's fine."

They all departed in fleeing runs, leaving Squalo to taunt his opponent with fighting words.

As Reborn sat casually on his shoulder, Yamamoto looked distantly into nothing in particular, not hearing the talk about the 7(3) cover or anything else anyone was saying; all he could think about was if was right to listen to Squalo and flee instead of staying back to be of assistance. The group around him chattered dynamically about where they should hide out, Haru finally suggesting a secret place a realtor showed her, when the ground began to shake. A pit of worry lodged itself in Yamamoto's stomach.

"Voooooiiii!" _That was Squalo's voice_, Tsuna had pointed out, but Yamamoto did not need someone to tell him whose voice that was. He did not know if he should have been happy to hear it or let that concern grow even more. The sight he saw before him instantly pushed any restraint out of him. He looked onto the kneeling form of Squalo, his sword arm cut off and still morbidly holding onto his weapon.

Through labored breathing, Squalo issued his final warning. "This'll end quicker than I thought... take Uni and run." His vision hazed, the fire around him blended with his line of sight, but he could focus a glance at Yamamoto. "Get as far away as you can..." Squalo returned his leer back to his opponent, cursing his name.

The surrounding area erupted into a series of sizable explosions. Giannini's explanation of the event did not register in Yamamoto's racing mind as he looked steadily at the area Squalo had been.

An incommunicable worry and twisted anger at the possible harm done to Squalo flowed unevenly throughout this body. "I'm... going back!" Yamamoto said, starting off hesitantly but ending on a strong, determined note. He wanted to go back for Squalo, he wanted to go back and help him, he wanted to go back and make sure he was alright and that he would get medical attention as soon as possible, and it did not matter to him at the moment that he would possibly suffer the same fate as Squalo.

Reborn could see this coming, and he knew a powerful slap on the face would bring Yamamoto back to reality; what he could do, and what Squalo wanted them to do. "Idiot Takeshi," Reborn was merciless. "Are you going to waste the valuable time Squalo was bought us?"

Already there was a reddening mark forming on his cheek, but it had done its job and reminded Yamamoto of what he should do instead of what he wanted to do. "Kid..." It was all it took for him to comply, and besides--

Squalo said he would be fine, and Yamamoto was sure he would keep true to his statement.


	16. Could Have Waited!

**Author's Note:** TYL!Yama is so 'the man' in the TYL!Relationship. Seriously. 16 little ficlets so far? Damn.

* * *

Did Yamamoto actually believe the petulant comment grumbled by Squalo to be funny, or did he just find it endearing the way a blush unused revealed itself in a rosy hue on Squalo's cheeks, veiled by his long hair while he looked away?

Murmuring, almost gravely under his breath, was what Squalo was doing when uttering the comment. Statement. A truth that now bought him embarrassment when discussing it, and with such a fine young gentlemen he used to half-heartedly mentor! He would never admit to the fact that his heart would race faster at the sight of grown, more handsome than cute Yamamoto Takeshi, nor would he even let himself amuse the fact that he had feelings more than he lead on for the man. It was strictly a relationship between a former mentor and a former student. A platonic relationship that did not leave Squalo wanting so badly to throw his arms around Yamamoto and experience how it felt to hold someone you would rather keep around than shoo away. He never pictured the hug, or how awkward it would be, never thinking of possibly how Yamamoto would somehow wind his arms around him in return and nuzzle lovingly into his neck with that stupid, naive grin dominating his face.

No, the idea of falling in _love_ with Yamamoto Takeshi was completely absurd.

He never realized that when he snarled at himself at random intervals during the day, he was angry with himself ruining any and all chances he had. The counter on how many times he had tried to **kill** the Vongola Rain Guardian had dissipated into a large estimation after a few years, and it was not as if Squalo kept track of how many times Yamamoto had ever called his name in a fond, friendly way.

_"What? Really? You've never shared a kiss with someone?"_ Yamamoto, older and more graceful looking, had been sitting across from Squalo at a private, little cafe, stopping mid sip of his hot Italian coffee to question Squalo. He wholeheartedly enjoyed the look of shock on Squalo's face when he sent a handsomely devious look his way from over the rim of the steaming mug, and quite possibly he went out of his way to nudge at Squalo's calf with his foot. _"Would you like to..." _Yamamoto's question trailed off as he downed the rest of his coffee (ignoring how hot it went down) and abruptly stood up. _"Let's go back to the hotel."_

Squalo sneered, hoping it kept the blush away and reluctantly complied with the command -- partly on behalf that Yamamoto laid a gentle, firm hand on his upper arm and the fact that those who could see into their private corner were now watching. It was not something Squalo wanted. _"Get your hands off me, you stupid piece of trash." _Squalo had murmured as he rose from his seat, leaving the coffee untouched and took quick strides out of the quaint place.

Yamamoto suffered from quick stinging pains and bouts of jovial laughter during their brisk walk down the downtown streets. Squalo continually slapped his hand away whenever he tried to make contact and even went as far as to actually grab his hand and give it a reprimanding squeeze before rushing forward to avoid passersby's' quizzical looks.

Once they reached the hotel, Squalo excused himself with a cursing grumble that he would be taking a nap and 'if bothered at all, will fucking rip [Takeshi] to shreds.' He had a sour look on his face when he slammed his room door shut, Yamamoto's laughter merrily resounding from the hotel room sofa.

Surprising an assassin of the Varia was no easy feat, but Yamamoto managed to stealthily open Squalo's room door -- it had been left unlocked, and he smiled to himself -- and crept over to the bedside, resisting the urge to run a gentle hand through Squalo's splayed out hair. He leaned kneeled down on his knees, playfully bringing his face next to Squalo's. "I know you wouldn't let me do this if you were awake," Yamamoto whispered, barely rubbing noses with him in an endearing gesture, "but what you don't know won't hurt you." He tilted his head to accommodate for their odd angle, eyes slowly closing as he pressed his lips to Squalo's, leaving it as a very chaste kiss; although, its time lingered on for what seemed hours. His breaths were abnormally slow, almost afraid if he breathed to match his drumming heart that Squalo would awake and keep true to his threat.

Their lips parted gingerly, a subdued smile soon dawning onto Yamamoto's face as Squalo merely stirred and rolled on his other side. "I won't tell you I did this until after dinner tonight," Yamamoto chuckled softly, standing back up and casually making his way out of Squalo's room to go.

When the door clicked shut, Squalo peered open glaring eyes and groaned. "Voi! That damn kid..." He bought a feeble hand to his lips, uncharacteristically gliding over them gently as to not displace the sweet kiss Yamamoto had just placed there. "Could have fucking waited until I was awake," he grumbled, hiding his light blush by burying his face into a pillow.


	17. He's Not My Lover!

**Author's Note: **I just wanted to put in a little Lussuria for this fic! Mothers are the worst. Sorry about the slow updates, I just randomly get ideas. There will probably be a part two to this. Yes.

* * *

This was exactly why Squalo wanted to fly to Japan _alone_, so he could meet with Yamamoto _alone_ and then they could go about their business _alone_. Unfortunately, his self-proclaimed mother invited himself to tag along and see just why the Vongola Rain Guardian escaped Squalo's bloodlust (and was only lusted for, much to Squalo's uproar at the comment.) The 'mother and eldest son' were currently flying in first-class, seeing as going over to 'knock some sense into that brat, even though he's at least 20-something (Squalo never cared to acknowledge Yamamoto personally)' was not considered a business trip and therefore would require money out of his own paycheck.

"Oh, my son is so romantic! Flying for nearly 14 hours to go see his lover!" Lussuria started the trip with this, ultimately making Squalo more reluctant to put himself through the torture of sitting next to his 'mother' and enduring all of the gossiping questions he had to ask about the 'relationship', which Squalo still refused to acknowledged. For all he said, it was literally a trip to knock some sense into the older Yamamoto. When questioned what his lover had done by the ever so giggly Lussuria, Squalo shot down the possibility with an urgent 'VOI!' and muttered something along the lines of Yamamoto missing their ritual match whenever he had come to Italy.

The pursed smile Lussuria always sported grew into a coy grin as he nudged Squalo with his elbow. "He missed one of your dates and you're bitter about it?" Pulling back to himself, the boxer squirmed in his seat and tried to control his excitement by biting down on his lip. "How cute!" he squeaked, missing Squalo face palm for about the fifth time. It had only been one hour on the plane and Squalo was sure it would only get worse from here. No sword to threaten Lussuria to shut up (airport security was fooled by their innocent looking baggage), and being loud would possibly end up in detainment, thus delaying the punishment he wanted to give Yamamoto for missing their match -- not date, it was a match and Squalo stood firmly by that belief. Even if those matches would end up with Yamamoto charming Squalo into having breakfast/lunch/dinner soon after, Squalo still refused to think of those as 'dates'.

"Voi! Shut up, that brat just needs to know he doesn't fuck with me like that!" Straining his tone so he could get a word in edgewise without being bombarded by the flight attendants, Squalo gritted his teeth and let his good hand nearly claw the arm rest.

Squalo did not like the look Lussuria gave him and furrowed his brows trying to think why he would even give him that _implying_ look that just _insinuated_ him and Yamamoto were, in fact, **a thing.**

"Maa~ I'll argue otherwise. You're never sleeping in your own bed at home whenever he visits~" Lussuria looked positively bright, most likely proud that his eldest son was finally opening up and that man could actually stand his loudmouth and show affection to him, despite the domestic violence that ensued afterwards. "Is your Takeshi a good fu--" Lussuria was never able to finish his sentence because of Squalo's frantic hand slapped over his mouth.

"VOOOOI, DON'T CROSS THAT LINE!" Needless to say, Squalo lost control over his naturally loud voice and was given a warning to not do it again, courtesy of a frightful flight attendant.

"Ohoho, Squ! You're getting flustered~ He really is that good in bed, huh? His horoscope says so!"

Lussuria smiled to himself at his son's embarrassed reactions, already wearing earplugs to dull out the sound of Squalo's rage -- because you could never really block out his voice entirely.

Once they landed Squalo was detained for (_descriptively_) threatening another passenger. His 'mother', to be exact.


	18. Who is that?

**Author's Note:** Once school's out, expect more updates. But I just HAD to write this short little one for 80S. A bit on the crack side, aha. You might want to read up to chapter 289 to understand it all? Not my best, but hey.

* * *

Who was this guy, exactly? Squalo leered dangerously at the bulky delinquent looking punk standing with his mentee, both ready to play a game of baseball.

_Who the hell is this guy? Shimon family... I've never heard of them!_

"You wanna pitch?" Yamamoto asked cheerfully, already tossing the ball to the sad faced man. Squalo inwardly twitched -- how could Yamamoto be so nice to just about anyone with a heartbeat! Had his kindness been a facade put on out of pity towards him? No, Squalo reminded himself, Yamamoto's smiles were very genuine and his dedication could never be falsified. Still, an odd feeling gnawed at the swordsman's heart, even if Yamamoto was always a nice person.

"What's wrong, Mizuno? Throw!" And while Squalo knew Yamamoto's tone was always so cheery, regardless of who he was talking to, it bothered him to see how casual the two were. While Squalo reasoned with himself Yamamoto would never find anyone as good as him -- in swords, of course -- he felt a bit relieved when Mizuno, with his pompadour haircut and disinterested eyes, rejected Yamamoto's invitation at a pitch. **But then Yamamoto had to go and be a good, patient, kind-hearted soul and wait for him.**

"I'm embarrassed... to throw in front of people." Mizuno had slowly muttered.

So he played _that _kind of card. Squalo reflected back on his own interactions with Yamamoto and none of them were so bashful, in fact all of them seemed to be the opposite of such.

The hitman Reborn started to offer ideas for Mizuno to become less shy and Squalo almost choked on his own spit at trying not to let out a voracious laugh at how idiotic it was. _Voi! These guys are fucking morons, _he thought whilst putting on an annoyed grin, not obviously out of curiosity to see how the Vongola and company would interact.

Soon they had the too chipper school girl come over and bring an odd assortment of costumes. Yamamoto named the strategy in his cheesy fashion that had Squalo face palming. He couldn't bear to watch it anymore as they all donned various vegetable costumes and decided to slump back into the bushes, but not before seeing Mizuno pitch to Yamamoto.

At this point he knew he would have to step up his game to outshine Mizuno. Just to remind Yamamoto who was the best. Getting the odd feeling out of his chest wouldn't be so bad either.


	19. Where is he?

**Author's Note: **C'mon, I jumped on this the moment I read these chapters. Spoilers for chapters 293, 294, and 295.

* * *

Squalo stepped out of the car in quite a hurry to leave the vehicle he had to share with his fellow Varia members for the past thirty minutes. "Let's get this stupid thing over with."

Lussuria handled talking to the valet, the rest of the Varia, save Xanxus, waiting on him. Once the Sun Guardian was done they advanced into the ceremony as one group, not even needing to state their names to the security because of their obvious status as Varia.

Squalo knew Yamamoto would be there, being the Rain Guardian to the next Vongola boss for whom the ceremony was held for. He that it was his duty as Yamamoto's mentor to check up on him and his progress in self training. He led the group towards the Vongola guardians and half expected to hear Yamamoto beat him to a greeting in the form of _"Hey, Squalo!"_ and that _annoying _laughter.

But Yamamoto's voice was nowhere to be heard, so he let out a greeting of his own.

"_VOOOOOOOOI_! It's been a while, you scum!" The rest of the Varia looked on silently as their loud mouth of a swordsman conversed with the Vongola and Cavallone boss. He ignored the worried chatter of the other mafia guests and turned his attention to the oddly quiet Yamamoto. "_VOOOII_! You haven't been skipping training have you?"

"Haha, of course not!" Yamamoto laughed, but Squalo perceived it as unnatural in a sense. He quickly felt the unfamiliar presence of a mist flame that seemed to make up the Yamamoto he saw, supporting the first brow raising suspicion he had upon first entering the area. This was not the student he had trained, the boy he fought against in the ring battles, or the boy he had yelled at in his ten year future. No, this certainly wasn't Yamamoto. Squalo could tell before even seeing the boy - he always expected the first words out of Yamamoto's mouth to be _"Squalo!"_ whenever he saw him. The Varia's swordsman hardly remembered a time when Yamamoto did not say his name as a greeting.

He pulled Tsuna aside, Dino doing the same. "Where's Yamamoto Takeshi?" It perked Squalo's interest to know why the real Yamamoto was not attending his own boss's ceremony. All the meek Tsuna said was a fearful, "Eek!" From the lack of an answer Squalo felt he already knew something bad had happened. He quickly released the Vongola boss and departed along with Dino.

Squalo's face did not differ much from his usual, irksome look but it had a new feeling to it. The scowl of being left out in the dark about someone he was very involved with affected him. Besides this scowl, though, he carried on normally and decided to watch from afar. All of it would be revealed soon and he wanted in on whatever caused the true Rain Guardian of the Vongola to not be present.


End file.
